INFOTEL is back

• National ICT Exhibition will be held 3 to 5 November after 3-year hiatus in support of digital economy of Sri Lanka 

The Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka (FITIS) yesterday announced that INFOTEL 2023 will take place from 3 to 5 November at the BMICH, after a three-year hiatus.

INFOTEL was launched in 1992 by the current President Ranil Wickremesinghe when he was the Prime Minister, as an initiative to develop the ICT industry in Sri Lanka. Today, INFOTEL has become the premier national ICT expo in the country bringing together new technology and solutions for the public and private sectors as well as the general public. 

INFOTEL was held for the last two decades continuously till 2019. However, for the last three years INFOTEL was not conducted due to the pandemic and the unstable situation of the country. Thus, this year becomes a significant landmark for INFOTEL, as it is re-launched by FITIS with an effort to bridge the technological gaps in the past three years.

INFOTEL 2023 will focus on key areas of Digital Economy, in support of the Government’s effort to introduce ICT Technology to develop the economy of Sri Lanka. INFOTEL will cover areas such as: Digital Government, Smart Education, Smart Health Solutions, Cyber Security, Agritech, Artificial Intelligence, Smart Cities, Green Energy, and a lot more. It will also provide the general public an experience in the use of new devices. FITIS encourages the participation of Tech Startups, showcasing their solutions. The public will also have a novel experience in engaging in e-sports competitions.

INFOTEL Organising Committee Chairman Gnanam Sellathurrai, a veteran ICT industrialist said: “I am so happy to organise the INFOTEL exhibition this year as I strongly believe it is a timely requirement to have this exhibition.”

“As for the last three years, Sri Lanka’s IT Industry faced many challenges in securing the revenues, launching new products, maintaining the existence of technology standards amidst the declining consumer buying power,” he said.

“The high inflation of the country has slowed down the sales revenues by more than 50%. Although this situation has improved due to the reduction in the inflation rate, still there is no significant improvement in the consumer buying power. At this moment we want to showcase the new technology with extraordinary experience to the general public. We invite everyone to witness this pioneer IT Exhibition of the country,” Sellathurrai added.

FITIS Chairman Indika De Zoysa said: “In the current context, technological enablement in Sri Lanka is low when compared regionally and globally. We need to adopt ICT technological Solutions to develop the digital economy. To achieve this, both the public and private sectors need to work together. The Government is focusing its effort on thrust areas such as, improvement and expansion of connectivity and access, developing infrastructure, implementing security for systems and solutions, meeting the challenges skills to support the Digital Economy, encouraging paperless and cashless transactions, etc. Such an effort will introduce more digital services, in developing the country’s digital economy. It is the responsibility of the Private Sector to support this effort as it has a direct impact on Sri Lanka’s ICT Industry.”

INFOTEL 2023 will introduce new technology that can implement ICT solutions in many areas that will benefit the general public. Government’s plans for “Digital Government”, will transform many of the current services offered by various government organisations into digital services enabling the citizens to reap the benefit of digitalisation.